Tag: postmaster

UPDATE: As of this morning (9/12) IP reputation data appears to be displaying correctly and domain reputation data is being provided.

If you’ve checked Google Postmaster Tools lately, don’t freak out just yet about your IP reputation. As first reported by Word to the Wise, the IP reputation metrics appear to be broken at the moment, displaying a “Bad” reputation for all IP addresses since 9/9. I’ve seen this in my own Postmaster Tools account, along with a lack of data for domain reputation since 9/8. Authentication and Encryption metrics appear to be working correctly for me, but I can’t say for sure whether the Spam Rate, Feedback Loop, or Delivery Errors charts are correct – they all show zero since 9/8, but that’s not uncommon in my experience.

Like Laura, I’ve not seen any delivery problems associated with the change in metrics, with bounce and open rates at Gmail pretty consistent based on a few spot checks.

As of yet there doesn’t appear to be an official confirmation from Gmail, but clearly something is hosed with their data. Is it possible this is tied to the Postmaster Tools updates that were promised a few months back? I’d say it’s unlikely…but a guy can hope, right?

Many in the email industry have a love/hate relationship with Gmail: they love that their opt-in mail usually gets delivered to the inbox without any trouble, but they hate that there seems to be no help from the Gmail team for those times mail doesn’t make it to the inbox. However, an announcement on the Gmail blog today could prompt a change of heart from many senders.

Starting today, Gmail is rolling out a new feature called Gmail Postmaster Tools, which it says will allow senders to “analyze their email, including data on delivery errors, spam reports, and reputation.” These tools, which are presumably the evolution of Google’s pilot FBL program of 2014, are designed to help senders “do better” at getting mail delivered to the Gmail inbox.

The Gmail team also announced that their spam filtering technologies are becoming even more advanced, including the use of an “artificial neural network” to identify spam that might seem like normal, wanted mail at a glance. In addition, they have made improvements in honoring individual preferences (I like newsletters but my friend doesn’t), as well as sniffing out well-spoofed phishing emails.

Keep your eyes on the WhatCounts blog for an upcoming post with more details on the Postmaster Tools and how they can help get your mail delivered where it belongs.